Together, Forever?
by Silver Sea Mist
Summary: Percy has a strange dream that might cause major trouble since it's... coming true! Then, everything shatters into pieces and Percy is left alone. What would happen? Would Percy switch sides… would he be tempted by Kronos's persuasion?
1. The Dream

**Chapter One: The Dream**

**Summary: **Percy has a strange dream that might cause major trouble since it's... coming true! Then everything shatters into pieces and Percy is left alone. What would happen? Would Percy switch sides… would he be tempted by Kronos's persuasion?

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians; I'm just writing a story.

* * *

Percy's Point of View

I was inside my cabin at Camp Half-Blood sleeping. And I was dreaming.

Not sweet dreams, but one that I couldn't get out of my head.

It was like a nightmare that haunted me, when I slept. It was like this: Annabeth had cheated on me for a guy from the Apollo Cabin.

I had woken up in my dream and tried to fall back to sleep and let darkness welcome me as always on nights.

* * *

_But I couldn't in my dream so I was going outside to the Iris Fountain to see if my dad was awake so that I could talk about some things to him._

_You know like father to son talk; what's going around and that kind of stuff._

_I slipped into my shoes and went to open the door._

_But I stopped. I heard voices…familiar ones. One definitely sounded like Annabeth's. _

_And the other, can I be mistaken? Is Annabeth actually doing this to me?_

_I breathed in a long breath and sighed. I felt tears pricking in the corners of my eyes. I pushed them back and thought, no, Annabeth wouldn't do this to me; it's probably someone else or maybe she was just using my fountain to talk with her dad. But I knew the voice of Annabeth's dad. I was really nervous… I wanted to just jump in my bed and fall asleep; to forget about this; to forget about hearing Annabeth's voice and another male's voice._

_But I wanted to know. Is Annabeth doing this to me? My own curiosity was suffocating myself. So I took a deep breath pushed open the door, dreading the sight immediately. Because there sat Annabeth and Will Solace in the moonlight. I lurked in the shadows in front of the ajar door, unnoticed by them for a while._

"_I love you, Annabeth."_

"_I love you too, Will. Maybe better than Percy," Annabeth giggled, a sound so unlike her._

_Stunned, my jaws clenched together tightly. I spun around on my heel willing to return to my cabin._

_To not disturb THIS! Flinging the cabin door open, I briefly noted how betrayed I felt. Finally, this sound brought Annabeth and Will back into reality from their "little" conversation._

"_Percy?" Annabeth whispered deep into the night, breaking the silence._

"_Percy Jackson who saved Mount Olympus," Will gasped._

_(It was only a week after I had saved Mount Olympus and did loads of change, but already some people started forgetting it. Annabeth acted as if I did this every day and sounded proud of me, which I was obviously happy about.)_

"_I heard all you said!" I shouted unable to control my anger that was clear in my tone. I stepped into the cabin, grasped the doorknob, slammed the door shut behind me, and collapsed on the bed wearily. I was furious at what happened and hungry for some sleep that would bring me away from this nightmare._

_Annabeth came into my cabin a while later. I pretended to be asleep. It worked, because she thought that I was asleep. She stared at me for a while and sighed. "I didn't know why I did that Percy, I'm sorry. I hope that it won't end out the way I think it will."_

_She stood up, left my cabin softly and walked towards hers. _

_I sat up and I couldn't stand it any longer. I let it out of me. I sobbed and I whispered so that no one could hear, "Annabeth, I hope that you wouldn't be like this…and I hope that it wouldn't end the way I think it will."_

* * *

I woke up, dazed. My palms were sweaty. It was this dream that haunted me. _I hope that it would _never_ happen_, I thought desperately trying to convince myself. But would it happen?

* * *

A/N: So after two years of not giving this story the attention that it deserved, I've finally came back to it. I received some reviews that actually motivated me to continue this story. But first... I need to make some revisions to the beginning.


	2. Announcements

**Chapter Two: Announcements**

Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but I do own my ideas that I am writing out.

* * *

Percy's Point of View

My eyes opened slowly since my mind was still begging for more sleep. I glanced towards the window. The sun was shining through the windows like sun on clear water. Outside, the birds were chirping peacefully... there were no more crickets singing in the darkness, sadly. I groaned and buried my head into the pillow. Camp Half-Blood's horn would blow any minute and I would have to rise to eat breakfast. I didn't want to… I was so tired!

Especially…wait…I had a dream last night. _Pause. __No, not a dream, but a __nightmare_. Still, I wanted to fall asleep and at the same time not to go asleep. I was afraid that the nightmare would come back to me. I laid there in the bed staring up at the ceiling.

It's painted blue, green, red, and other mesmerizing shades to represent the ocean. It felt so peaceful that I was almost sure nothing horrible would happen.

_Almost._

I wished everything were like this. Nothing bad happening, yet life would be boring without bad things. But surely, nothing awful can happen as the dream coming true, right?

_But I couldn't in my dream so I was going outside to the Iris Fountain to see if my dad was awake so that I could talk about some things to him._

_You know like father to son talk; what's going around and that kind of stuff._

_I slipped into my shoes and went to open the door._

_But I stopped. I heard voices…familiar ones. One definitely sounded like Annabeth's._

_And the other, can I be mistaken? Is Annabeth actually doing this to me?_

I drew in my breath sharply. I knew what was going to happen. This dream... it was the exact dream that I had last night. I knew how it was going to turn out. And I didn't like it. I wanted this to stop, to stop having this...nightmare.

_I breathed in a long breath and sighed. I felt tears pricking in the corners of my eyes. I pushed them back and thought, no, Annabeth wouldn't do this to me; it's probably someone else or maybe-_

And then I bumped my head on the bunk bed of my cabin. I had drifted back to sleep before. Sitting straight up in the bed, I cocked my head and listened. The Camp Half-Blood bell was ringing. I sprang out of my bed in my mini quest to hurry to the breakfast pavilion. I certainly did not want to get in trouble with Chiron and Mr. D. Or have to wash the dishes and be last for showers either; hot waters are not guaranteed.

I pushed the door open. But stopped when I saw a fountain. A very familiar fountain... an Iris Fountain that Dad sent me to keep in touch with my family. Annabeth was sitting on this fountain in my dream...

"Percy! Come on! You don't want to be late for breakfast", a voice called breaking my train of thoughts. A voice that was sweet and smart. I glanced up and saw a girl with blonde hair, gray, piercing, stormy eyes that was wearing a blue cap. _Annabeth._ She gazed down at me, punched me playfully and pulled me along with her.

* * *

"Race to Breakfast?" I asked.

She nodded and we ran.

"Percy? Annabeth? Why are you both so red and gasping for air?" Chiron questioned me and his eyebrow rose into a confused expression.

I shrugged not knowing how to explain it although it was very simple. We ran to breakfast. That's all. But I didn't feel like explaining. So I just shrugged lazily and ahead.

"We ran to Breakfast, Chiron," Annabeth explained and how we didn't want to arrive late.

I listened to Annabeth. Taking in every word that she said. I sighed. Her nice voice and her love for architecture.

It was the truth. We didn't want to be late of course. But Annabeth especially. She had a whole cabin to support. If she ever got in trouble, her cabin would have to follow. I didn't mind that much. After all, I didn't have any siblings save for Tyson who was in the Underwater Palace creating weapons.

But Annabeth left some things out. She didn't say that I asked to race or that we were having fun while trying not to be late. Chiron would probably tell Mr. D if we did. But we could tell Chiron... after all, he's caring and understanding. No wonder he's in charge of the camp. But I guess Annabeth and I didn't feel like telling.

Chiron sighed. "Okay, Percy and Annabeth. I'll believe this. But I don't want to catch you running to breakfast again."

I nodded and I felt Annabeth nodding beside me.

"Now, hurry along, you both! I got some announcements to make." Chiron's eye twinkled towards my direction and winked at me as if we were sharing a private conversation. Was the news bad? After all, a demigod's life is never "normal." What did Chiron know that I didn't?

Annabeth and I had to split up to sit at our assigned tables. There was no way we could sit together; our parents were rivals. Annabeth squeezed between some of her half-sisters at the head of the table since she was the head of the Athena's cabin. I sat alone at the Poseidon's table. I didn't have any half-brothers or sisters like Annabeth. Dad had said that he might bring some new siblings to camp. Honestly, I didn't know what to make of that. What was I supposed to feel?

I stared glumly at Annabeth who was joyfully chatting away with her sisters. The topic of their conversation was architecture probably being Annabeth's -all of the Athena Cabin's- favorite subject.

* * *

At least I am allowed to stay at camp. I had asked my mom for my permission already. The conversation went like this:

"Mom, Chiron said that I had to ask your permission if I could stay at camp-"

"Percy!"

"Hey Paul."

"Beat any monsters lately?"

"Not really, unless if you are counting the Battle of Manhattan, but you were there also."

"Ah…"

"Paul? Percy was just asking me something. Can he ask me now?"

"Sure Sally, I'll just sit here…"

Paul plopped himself on a chair in the dining room and drank deeply into his coffee while picking up a sandwich. I saw Mom smile and turn her attention to me. I was glad that Mom was finally happy. I had unintentionally brought her a lot of hurt, especially Smelly Gabe, but at least he had disappeared and Mom sold a statue.

"Percy, so what did you want to ask me?"

"I was just asking if I could stay at Camp for the summer. Chiron said that I needed to ask your permission," I explained to her, adding the last part to explain why I was asking her.

"Do what your heart tells you to do, Percy. I won't always be there for you. And I know that your heart has always been set in the right place."

With that, she waved her hand through the Iris Message breaking the connection and I saw Paul quickly waving his hand good-bye to me. That was the last image I had of them. Both of them were happy. And I was too.

* * *

"Heroes! I have some announcements to make."

Everyone looked up and the talking ceased. The pavilion went deadly quiet. All the campers respected Chiron. Mr. D just sat at the table looking bored at the upcoming news since he already knew it. I realized that he was staring thoughtfully at the Apollo table, especially at Will Solace.

_Now what? _I questioned myself._ What happened this time? _Chiron answered my thoughts.

"I have some good news and bad news". Chiron turned to look at Mr. D grimly. Mr. D inclined his head slightly, his gaze fixed upon Will Solace with great curiosity. I craned my head to look at Will. Apparently, Will did not notice the constant attention that he was receiving from Mr. D. Then Mr. D severed his concentration. His gaze sought Chiron's and he stated in a bored tone, "If you tell them the good news first, then there's nothing to cheer them up from the bad news. Personally, I would do it my way, the brats." He knew fully well that Chiron wouldn't take his suggestion.

I rolled my eyes as Mr. D called us "brats." It should be one of his most famous catchphrases. Every newcomer to Camp is able to clearly and correctly infer that Mr. D didn't like them when he stated, "More brats, more babysitting."

"The bad news is that Apollo is abducted by the giants born from Gaia and Uranus, one of them, which is Enceladus. A few days ago before the news have arrived to me, Rachel; our oracle had made a prophecy. Now I would like Rachel to come and repeat the prophecy for you to hear. Rachel?"

Rachel stood by the door and stared at Chiron. He nodded to her and she came towards where he was. She took a deep breath and then spoke. Her voice sounded like 3 Rachel's together.

_The god of music, sun, prophecy, and healing has been gone for now_

_The goddess of archery, moon, and the hunt will tell the evidence_

_Children of Gaia and Uranus would be holding him_

_One son of Apollo would lead this quest_

_To find his father would be why_

_His favorite son would hold the answer how_

Rachel snapped out of her chance as the prophecy ended. Her serpent green eyes returned into her normal green eyes.

Chiron continued where he left of. "The god of music, archery, prophecy, and healing is none other than Apollo. The goddess of archery and the hunt would be none other than Artemis, his twin sister. Artemis has given the gods and I the story of how Apollo is kidnapped. It appears that they were hunting when Enceladus appeared out and grabbed both of them. They fought Enceladus, but only Artemis escaped and only narrowly. She hid amid the trees for a while and tracked down Enceladus afterwards. Enceladus was headed to the center of the Earth."

Everyone gasped. _Wow,_ I thought. _If Enceladus was headed towards the center of the Earth, then it would be an awesome quest. __  
_

Meanwhile, the Ares table snickered and sneered. A goddess and a god couldn't even take on a giant? They shouted and howled with laughter. Good thing that the Hunters weren't here or else their pompous and obnoxious butts would have been blasted to pieces. However, the whole camp was here and heard what they said, especially Mr. D.

Mr. D's eyes glowed furiously and his body glowed bright gold. Vines suddenly darted out and wrapped its way around the Ares table like a snake. But his voice remained calm as he spoke. "I would like to see you try Sons and Daughters of Ares. Most of you surely wouldn't even escape the giant's clutches as Artemis had even with the whole cabin. The whole cabin doesn't even live up to a god's standards. And so you humiliated two of the gods. I wonder what the gods would do to you… especially me." The whole Ares cabin sat shocked. Then just as quickly as it happened, the vine recoiled around the table and was gone.

_It's amusing to watch them, _I mused silently. Especially since Ares was my enemy.

"And", Mr. D continued, "You will have punishments at camp. You will have cold showers for a week or two. Let's make it two. You will also have to wash the dishes for the same amount of time. There will be no participation at Camp Fires at night or the sing-along at all from your cabin."

The whole Ares cabin groaned as Mr. D was turning around to sit. He spun around at once and spat out, "Did I hear a groan? Is there something wrong? I could change it to a month!"

"Nothing," they mumbled, finding that the effort to stay calm was challenging.

An amused smile played quietly on my lips and I smirked. Mr. D beckoned Chiron to continue.

"Apollo's favorite son would probably be Will Solace, counselor of Apollo's cabin." Will looked surprised at this. But he calmed down fast and nodded.

"You will have to visit the Oracle afterwards, Will." He nodded again. "The quest will probably take a week at the most."

Now I understood why Mr. D was staring at Will so intently. He was wondering why Will would be the hero of the prophecy. Well, it definitely won't be me this time. I felt a slight pang of jealousy.

"And here's the good news, heroes! A ball is going to happen at Mount Olympus one week later to celebrate the defeat of Kronos and the savior, Percy Jackson!"

Everyone turned to look my way. I felt proud yet a little nervous. Chiron smiled at me and I felt a smile tugging at my lips too.

"The Aphrodite cabin will make everyone look his or her nicest. They will be the ones designing and selecting the costumes. It's up to the Aphrodite Cabin for the ball at Mount Olympus."

All kinds of replies came from the tables.

"YES! FINALLY! YES!" the Aphrodite table shrieked. And I mean _shrieked. _Everyone used their hands as a safeguard for their ears.

I just sat there. So did the Athena table. But each person of the Athena table had a certain expression on their face. Annabeth had a delighted, calm, and somewhat of an excited expression. I wore a blank expression.

The Ares table moaned. Today must not be their lucky day. "NO! Why is it a _ball?_ I don't want to go to the ball!"

Chiron made another announcement when he heard that. "And… everybody has to go."

"NO!" The Ares cabin complained.

The Aphrodite cabin squealed louder to drown out the complaints of Ares's cabin. They soon started whispering and planning.

"No," I heard them say. "That's not right." And one of the girls pointed at me and started to argue. I caught something and it was the word _tuxedo. _I blushed. They were talking about _me_. I looked another direction and pretended to not hear.

My eyes surveyed the entire pavilion. The comments continued.

The Hephaestus table made no comments thankfully and each person brought out a toy and tinkered with it. Their entire concentration was fixed upon taking the toy apart or adding new gadgets to it. The Hermes cabin traded objects that they had- or rather, stolen. The Demeter cabin talked among themselves. For them, it was "I should be planting something instead of listening to this" or "I hope that we can supply the food for the ball." Mr. D.'s sons and daughters did nothing.

Then Katie and Serena walked up to Chiron and seemed to be discussing something with him. He nodded and made yet another announcement. "The Aphrodite cabin will look over every camper in Camp Half-Blood, the satyrs, and the nymphs. They would decide in a 5-minute decision on what you would wear and for girls, makeup. The Demeter Cabin has also offered something. They offered to be the ones to prepare the food for the Ball. The quest to rescue…" Everyone perked up as Chiron said that except for the some cabins like the Aphrodite cabin.

"The quest to rescue Apollo will start tomorrow right after Will has visited the Oracle. The quest will most likely end when we're traveling to Olympus so once the quest ends, heroes, you will have to hurry back to Camp or find another way of transportation. We cannot wait too long."

And with that, he waved his hand and we continued eating, but not without our offerings to our parents. The rest of the day continued with our usual activities.

_Ah... _I thought. _I'll ask Annabeth to the Ball with me. _

* * *

A/N: I'm just going to clear some things up since someone was confused about the first chapter. The nightmare/dream that Percy had will happen later on. You know how demigods' dreams are usually visions or omens? In this case, it is a vision/omen of what is going to happen in the future.

Thanks goes to Penguin Girl! She supplied me with a lot of help for this story. Thank you also for those that are still reading!


	3. Prophecy

**Chapter Three: Prophecy**

* * *

Will's Point of View

I watched as vines darted out and circled Ares's table. In the far distance, I could hear grape vines crackling and people sobbing in misery and begging for mercy. I shuddered. The sight was painful to think about. The vines tightened around the table as Mr. D spoke angrily to them.

"Apollo's favorite son would probably be Will Solace, counselor of Apollo's cabin."

My eyes flickered wide open as Chiron said that.

"You would have to visit the Oracle soon, Will."

I nodded. But I shivered -not that I would be shivering in the center of the Earth- inwardly. To the center of the Earth? How long would that take? And most importantly, would I even be safe on this kind of quest?

Despite my pessimistic thoughts, I nodded determinately and eagerly. I aspired to see this quest to the end. I wanted to show off that I was a hero for once and that Percy Jackson wasn't. This was also my first quest. It has always been Percy Jackson did this and Percy Jackson did that. No wonder he's famous. And no wonder Annabeth is with him... I shook slightly to clear my thoughts and listened to Chiron.

_Oh joy! There's going to be a ball at Mount Olympus? Who should I go with?_ I thought as Chiron announced the news. My eyes instantly drifted to Annabeth who was listening with both ears open and giving Chiron her complete attention. I shook my head again. Why do I keep on thinking about her? _I'll ask her in the end... when I'm brave enough... but I'd have to ask before Percy decided to if I was going to have more of a chance to attend the ball with Annabeth. _

I continued eating my breakfast. Afterwards, I hurried out of the mess hall. I had to visit the Oracle. After all, the quest was going to start tomorrow. I stopped halfway only to see Chiron nod to me as if he was reminding me to visit the Oracle. I nodded back and hurried on.

I entered the Big House to search for Rachel the Oracle. It was much better having Rachel as an oracle. It was a lot less scarier than having to visit the old mummy Oracle. I caught sight of her sitting in a chair drawing.

She looked up to see who it was when I approached her, my footsteps making the only sound there except for the sound of pencil scratching on paper. "You came."

I stood, motionless in front on her. Out of curiosity, I glanced at what she was drawing. Though it was a quick sketch, the quality and details were very rich. The drawing of Apollo chained up with three giants guarding him at the center of the Earth stared back up at me. I noted that there was a drawing of me and three others that Rachel did not draw yet.

She saw me studying the drawing and picked it up. "It was really weird. All of a sudden, I just felt a need to draw this out." Rachel frowned at the three unknown people next to me.

"Anyway, you came. Are you ready for the prophecy?"

"It's not like I have a choice, do I? I'm a demigod."

Rachel managed a smile at my joke. A green mist swirled around her. Her eyes glowed serpent green and when she spoke, it wasn't Rachel anymore, but three Rachel's blended together.

"_Approach speaker and ask_."

I stepped forward and asked, "Where is my father Apollo and how do I save him?"

_4 will answer the call _

_Campers and one hunter combined prevail _

_Go to the center to the god in chains_

_A daughter of Athena will help lead the way_

_Goddess of Hunts will send one hunter without delay_

_And one special and well-known survivor of the Battle of Manhattan_

_Only one will have the power to unlock the chains_

_Time will tell and lead_

Then the green aura swirled and disappeared around Rachel. She snapped out of her trance. And she didn't act so stiff anymore, but full of life. "That was the prophecy. So, what did I say?"

I repeated what she just said to me. Then I checked my watch and said, "Thanks, I'd better go. I might be late for my archery lessons!"

Knowing that she understood that I was not trying to be rude, I hurried out of the house. However, instead of heading to Archery, I changed my path slightly so that I was heading to Chiron. When he saw me, he asked, "Will, you visited the Oracle right?" He knew the answer already and as if we were both thinking the same thing, we went by the strawberry fields to talk."

"Will, what's the prophecy?"

I took a deep breath and repeated.

_"4 will answer the call_

_Campers and one hunter combined prevail_

_Go to the center to the god in chains_

_A daughter of Athena will help lead the way_

_Goddess of Hunts will send one hunter without delay_

_And one special and well-known survivor of the Battle of Manhattan_

_Only one will have the power to unlock the chains_

_Time will tell and lead"_

"4 will answer the call…that would be 4 quest members then," Chiron answered slowly.

"Campers and one hunter. A daughter of Athena, one hunter that Artemis will send, and a special and well-known survivor of the Titan War Two," I continued.

"I think that the daughter of Athena would be Annabeth, considering she knows a lot about history and well, you know Annabeth."

I chuckled. "Yes I do Chiron. One hunter; that's what I'm wondering about. Which one? And one special and well-known survivor..."

"I suppose that time will tell. Artemis will probably send a hunter by tomorrow when the quest starts. Next, is the special and well-known survivor of the battle? Let's go over the survivors. You. Nico, but he's in the Underworld. Clarisse, special, yes, but not that much. Annabeth, you healed her when someone stabbed her back."

I face turned a little red. Thankfully, Chiron did not take any notice.

"Katie…ah…Percy! Percy is special and a well-known survivor for saving Olympus. He should be the one."

My eyebrows furrowed as I thought of _him _being along with me on the quest. At least I was going to be the hero this time.

"I think that we have thought it all thought out. But who's the one that will have the power to unlock the chains? I don't know. But time will need and tell," Chiron mused. "I presume that you have Archery now?"

"Yeah. Just wanted to tell you the news first." I waved and made my way to Archery. Throughout the day, I kept on thinking about the quest over. When it was time for dinner, I followed my half-siblings to the mess hall.

While we ate, Chiron made an announcement. "Will has visited the Oracle and has received a prophecy. The quest will start tomorrow! The following people will attend a meeting: Will Solace, Annabeth Chase, and Percy Jackson!"

People cheered for us. Dinner swept by quickly and everyone else either went to the sing-along or returned to their cabins. Annabeth, Percy and I remained behind. Chiron and Mr. D motioned for us to follow. We prodded behind them silently. After a while, we reached a table. Chiron and Mr. D sat down and that was our cue to sit down also.

Chiron broke the uncomfortable silence. "We will begin by hearing the prophecy, Will."

Next to him, Mr. D was grumbling about how he didn't want to be here with three brats. Annabeth and Percy were staring into space, but listening intently to what I was going to say. And of course, I repeated the prophecy for everyone else to hear.

"Will and I have figured out that the daughter of Athena on the quest should be Annabeth. The special and well known survivor would be Percy because of him saving Olympus. And the hunter should arrive tomorrow."

Percy had a smug smile over his face. Annabeth murmured _"Thalia." _I guessed that Thalia was who Annabeth was hoping that would come along with us.

"What about the other lines, Chiron?" Annabeth inquired.

"We don't know who will have the power to unlock. But as the prophecy states, time will tell and lead. Tomorrow, the Aphrodite Cabin will have a look over you for the ball. I will be seeing you tomorrow ready for the quest."

Grim faced, we walked off to our own paths in the darkness leaving the clearing with the table and chairs behind. I was hoping that the harpies wouldn't eat me since it was probably past curfew.

* * *

Aphrodite's Point Of View

_This is going to be GREAT! A story for Percy and Annabeth just like how I promised Percy in the quest to save Annabeth! Hm…that Will was the one who healed Annabeth last week or some weeks ago. _I thought eager for the love story to begin. _That's a good reason to get him included in this. _

Sadly, I had to switch Will Solace's thoughts about my daughter Serena Swan to Annabeth. _Serena..._ I started tearing up when I imagined her depressed face when Will wouldn't be the one to ask her to the ball. But I soon brightened. Everything will work out the way I plan it to be.

I set up three televisions so that I could spy on the three stars of my next love story. One was for Will; another about Percy; and the last one for Annabeth. Finished, I plopped back onto my soft, fluffy, rose-colored bed with a satisfied smile on my face and slept waiting for the quest to begin so that I could have my new entertainment.

* * *

A/N: I'm horrible with prophecies. So I apologize if the prophecy was a bit too revealing. Personally, I think it was...


	4. Preparations

**Chapter Four: Preparations**

* * *

Annabeth's Point of View

Birds chirped outside of the window and the sunlight was shining through the Athena Cabin. I sighed peacefully in my sleep and slowly opened my eyes. I glanced at my surroundings, checking if I was still in the cabin and not in some unknown place. Hm… the library with scrolls and books, the workshop, and silver wallpaper… Yep, it was still Athena's Cabin.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned quietly. I had planned to wake up at 7 to pack and study a bit before the quest. The conch horn would ring at 8. I grabbed my yellow backpack and started packing. I took my blue Yankees cap and placed it in the largest section. Then I put my backpack aside. I needed to get dried food, cash money, and golden drachmas. I tidied up my place quickly. After smoothing out my blankets, I left my backpack in the corner of my bed and stepped onto the floor and stretched.

I made my way in the bathroom towards the sink to do my morning routine. Afterwards, I changed out of my orange Camp Half-Blood shirt into a normal orange t-shirt. Then, I threw on blue jeans and wore my necklace of my years at Camp Half-Blood. I fixed up my hair neater into a ponytail. I took my Celestial Bronze knife from underneath my pillow and laid it on my desk so that I could strap it to my arm later. Then, I slung my backpack on one of my shoulders and I trudged out quietly. I pushed through the silver curtains that covered the doorway and I went on. I first went to the Big House to see Chiron about the mortal cash and drachmas. As I approached the house, I saw Chiron with Mr. D playing a game of cards. He stood up in his full centaur form; half human, half horse and catching sight of me, he waited. I went up to Chiron and Mr. D narrowed his eyes.

"Young lady, what do you want that is so important that you have to disrupt a card game?"

"Just that I need mortal cash and drachmas for emergency," I said hastily.

Chiron nodded and handed me two Ziplocs bags full of mortal cash and drachmas.

"Thanks Chiron!" I exclaimed and when I turned my back, I rolled my eyes at Mr. D and hurried away hoping not to be caught and be called "a brat with an attitude."

I returned once again to my cabin and lifted the silver curtains to enter inside. I went to the survival center in the cabin and took a silver thermos and filled it with nectar for emergencies. Then I took another Ziploc bag and took a huge wad of ambrosia and placed it neatly in the bag. I had a feeling that we might have serious injuries on this quest.

I took dried food also and water. Then I grabbed all the items and stored it in my backpack. I reached for my knife lying on the table in front of me and strapped it to my arm. This way, I could reach easily for it.

I sat down at one of the desks and pulled out ancient scrolls and books on how to get to the center of the earth. I would have thought that journeying to the center of the Earth was impossible. But throw impossibility out the window; when you're a demigod, impossible is not a word in your dictionary.

I studied all I can in 30 minutes. The most important books and scrolls, I placed in my backpack. The conch horn sounded and I smirked. Right on time. I pushed past the curtains and stared at the carving of the owl over the doorway. _Please Mom; give us a safe passage in this quest. Guide us! _And with one last look around my cabin, I walked to Zeus's fist and sat down on the nearest rock, proceeding to wait for Will and Percy. _Slowpokes, _I thought in my mind

* * *

Percy's Point of View

The conch horn interrupted my sleep and I yawned as I woke up. I did everything as quickly as I could. Brush my teeth, splash water on my face, and pack a thermos of Nectar into my blue backpack. Slipping Riptide into my pocket, I pushed the door of my cabin opened and raced to Zeus's fist waiting to see the team there. They were and I chuckled expecting to see Annabeth fussing about me being a slowpoke.

Annabeth made her way toward me and narrowed her eyes. "Seaweed Brain, you are really a slowpoke!"

"And you were the first one, Wise Girl?" I spoke without thinking. Of course Annabeth came here first! She must have woke up early this morning.

She raised her eyebrows and wore an innocent smile. I knew what she was going to say before she said it. "Of course I did, I studied everything we needed to know…SEAWEED BRAIN!"

"What?" I questioned innocently.

"You know what. You were a slowpoke and you thought I was?"

I left her sentence hanging in the air and chose not to answer. We had to meet Chiron and then Serena (new counselor of Aphrodite cabin) for the ball.

* * *

Annabeth's Point of View

Chiron was waiting for us in front of the Aphrodite Cabin. Serena was next to Chiron, waiting patiently for us. Serena was so similar to Silena that it was hard to tell apart their personalities. She was the only one that was actually true in the Aphrodite cabin; nothing like the others who wanted to put two people together and then shatters their lives during the process.

Serena grinned at us enthusiastically. "Are you ready to pick your outfits? Not that you'll be allowed to wear casual apparel of course. So if you don't cooperate, I might just have to decide on your outfits myself."

"Sure," I grinned back and turned around to make sure that Percy and Will were also agreeing. "Right?"

"Oh yea, we're ready to pick outfits…" Percy mumbled and Will agreed.

"Well, I wonder who you're all taking to ball, but like always, that's not going to be my business," chattered Serena. "I guess Annabeth would go first. Wait out here, you two," and she smiled at them especially at Will. Well, it would be obvious why. They were a pair over the summer.

I followed Serena and stepped into the Aphrodite cabin with her. Immediately, all her siblings started to gush out loud. "Oh! Annabeth's first? Let's get started!" I stared uncomfortably thinking about all the makeup. I felt like throwing up. Maybe the heavily scented perfume was getting to me.

"No, it's okay. I'm going to do these three... or four if the other member shows up, it'll take too much time," Serena said reading my expression. I prayed a silent thanks to her.

"Aww…why?" grumbled the others, but they did nothing to stop Serena.

"Don't mind them," reassured Serena and led me down a staircase that soon led to a large cabin underground. She slid her hands along the walls until she found the light switch and flipped it on. Lights on both sides of the walls flickered on and lit the room aglow. Massive wardrobes stood at the end of the room. I briefly wondered how many outfits it contained. A huge flat screen T.V. occupied the entire expanse of a wall. All kids of refreshments sat ready on a table near the T.V. _Good for movie nights, _I thought staring.

I found Serena opening one of the wardrobes and while she was sorting through the mess, Serena answered my thought as if she was physic. "Oh…we use this for movie nights, where we just come here and party. We have everything here. There's more to this place then you think. Being children of Aphrodite, we are the best planners of parties and movie nights. Everyone would be in awe when they come here, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were thinking this also." She turned to beam at me, pausing for a while to brush her lush black hair that was falling into her face.

I smiled and after she turned back, I answered her. "Yeah, I was just thinking that Serena. It just seems perfect for a movie night."

"Yeah…" she said softly, then paused. "What dress now for you, Annabeth?"

She walked around me in a circle and observed quietly. Serena snatched a pad that was sitting on a nearby table along with a pen and started scribbling. "Your hair will be going down now," she murmured. Serena looked through the wardrobe and pushed aside many dresses. "No…a blue dress would fit you," Serena commented as she was looking through some silver dresses. "What was I thinking!"

In less than a minute, Serena pulled a fancy, long, sky blue dress out of the wardrobe. The dress was slim looking, but it looked just right for me. It also had silver high heels to match the dress. It seemed to match my personality and I was relieved when Serena announced that I was going to wear this because the other dresses were…a bit too fashionable.

Serena exited the underground cabin with me and outside of the Aphrodite cabin where everyone else was waiting. Percy seemed to be chatting with a spiky black haired girl wearing a black leather jacket that looked strangely like Thalia. I squinted and rubbed my eyes. It was Thalia!

I greeted Thalia with a warm hug. "You've grown! And…why are you here, Thalia?"

"Lady Artemis sent me here on the quest to rescue Apollo. Even though Apollo is annoying most times, he is still Lady Artemis's brother after all," she explained quickly.

"Hello? Someone over here has to do the ladies first before you guys leave!" Serena screeched trying to break our conversation.

"A ball at Mount Olympus…do you know Thalia?"

"Oh yeah. Totally forgot about that. I don't want to wear a dress." Her smile fell. "But I still have to get one." Thalia followed Serena into the Aphrodite Cabin whining. A minute later, she popped out happily munching barbecue potato chips. Her emotions sure changed quickly.

"I got a black dress with black high heels. Hm…gothic," Thalia said while chewing the potato chips. She didn't really care that it was proper etiquette to close your mouth while chewing. That's what I loved about Thalia; her nature was independent and head strong. Percy and Will went afterwards and were done quickly.

Chiron bided us farewell and a safe quest. We climbed into Argus's van and naturally, looked forward to the dangerous quest, being the demigods that we are.

* * *

A/N: I forgot to mention that I created a new Aphrodite counselor; Serena Swan. In Chapter Two, she made an appearance, but I didn't remember to explain about her until now. This was before I discovered that Drew was the current Aphrodite counselor in The Lost Hero. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Arriving at the Mountain of Despair

**Chapter Five: Arriving at the Mountain of Despair**

* * *

Annabeth's Point of View

Everyone piled into the van that Argus was driving. Apparently, all of us were nervous even though we were really looking forward to the excitement. Danger was lying ahead. That was the bad part. I gazed out of the window, watching the endless scene of trees pass by, and not saying a word to anyone.

"So…," Thalia said trying to break the silence that had settled uncomfortably in the van. "There's really nothing to talk about, is there?"

Everyone nodded, but made no effort in trying to reply to Thalia. "Oh come on, everybody! Ah…so, now I know. All of you are _terrified?_" _  
_

This obviously got my attention. "Of course not…WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT, THALIA GRACE?" I snapped at her.

Will scoffed. "I am not nervous!"

Percy drummed his fingers at the edge of the seat. "Nervous? No way. I live for adventure. It's better than being stuck in a summer school."

Percy, Will, and I stared and each other and started laughing hysterically at our denials.

"Well, I guess we are all are a bit nervous…" I admitted.

"Yeah, well, let's not talk about how we're feeling. I don't think that's going to keep us alive. Uh…let's talk about where we're going," Percy replied.

"Well…" I said drawing out the sound and suddenly turning into a professor. "I have done some research…" I paused to turn and give Percy a look that meant _and you of course, know what I mean. _

Percy smiled sheepishly back at me. He knew that I woke up early just to study.

Thalia and Will glanced at both of us with an expression of amusement and seemed –not slightly amused- but, really amused as if the little spark from me and Percy's "battle" was an entertainment.

I continued on with what I was saying, after I shot another "look" to Percy in which Percy tried to look at anything, but me.

The van rolled on and on.

"Um, where exactly are we going Annabeth?" Will questioned uncertainly.

"I already told Argus where to drive to. Though, we have to travel a bit ourselves to get to our destination. "

Everyone perked up.

"Okay, I packed some things that we are going to use, when we reach our destination, which is a mountain that we have to go the inside and then that would lead us to the center of the Earth. There, we are going to have to try and save Apollo. Since the center of the Earth is supposedly burning, I brought Medea's SPF 50,000 Sunscreen. You know, so that it would protect us from the heat," I lectured. "And, I've done some research in the morning…so; I decided which mountain to travel into. My choice was the Titan's former base, the Mountain of Despair, or otherwise known as the place that Atlas holds the sky..."

They processed the information, nodded, and the silence settled over us again.

* * *

Thalia's Point of View

The van jerked to a stop. I glanced out of the window. _The Mountain of Despair. __Of course, we're here already._

"Well, we're here, " Argus stated. There was nothing else for him to say. What else was there to say? That he wanted some souvenirs from the center of the Earth?

It seemed as if the mountain captured our voice. Its gloominess encompassed us and we could sense the Mist starting to form. Argus bid us farewell and left us. We were on our own now.

Finding her voice to speak, Annabeth started. "Well-"

It was soon cut off, by no other than Percy Jackson. "Ah... mountain brings back memories."

Anne narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "Well, why don't you just _bring back the memories? _Go on. Get to the other side."

Everyone could plainly see that there was a deep chasm separating us from the other side, which was the mountain.

I laughed inwardly _Probably Percy didn't. _

"Sure! I'll go on first!" He sounded so enthusiastic. It was a pity that he couldn't see the chasm. Percy started walking until he was over the edge. Suddenly, he realized that he was standing over the edge of a deep crack. "Wait... Annabeth. You don't want me to _die, _do you?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Of course not. Obviously, we're taking the bridge across? The one that is connected to the other side?"

"What ladder?"

This time, I couldn't hold my laugh in anymore. I broke out laughing hysterically. "Seriously, Percy! The ladder! Turn around?!"

"There is no ladder, I'm going to turn around now-oh, there's a bridge...I...uh... never mind."

"Anyway, come on! Let's go!" Annabeth shouted to the rest of us. Nobody moved.

I stared horrified. I never would have agreed to to go on this quiet except that it was for Lady Artemis. Now, I would have to face my height phobia.

"Um... ladies first? I guess?" Will responded.

Annabeth huffed. "Boys! They're so annoying." She bounded across.

Was it my turn now? A feeling started rising inside of me. My mind only processed a few thoughts.

Panic. Terror. Fear.

"Uh... Thalia? Hello?" Percy waved his hand in front of my face.

"What?" I snapped. I hoped that I didn't sound paralyzed with fear.

"The bridge... I know that you're scared of heights, but I'm afraid that you _have _to go across."

"Come on, Thalia! You can do it!" Annabeth shouted encouragingly all the way from the other side.

"I have to do this sooner or later. Might as well be now, " I replied unsure of myself. Closing my eyes, I started walking straight. I prayed that I was walking to the ladder and not to my instant death of falling down the chasm.

I knew I was on the bridge by now. I could feel the it swinging side to side. I almost froze, but I fought the urge to and continued. When I felt solid ground beneath my feet, I let out a relieved breath and opened my eyes.

Annabeth was right there in front of me. "You did it."

"Yeah, I did." I instantly knew that a smile had appeared on my face. It wasn't that bad if you closed your eyes.

Soon, Will and Percy made it across one at a time. We started up the mountains.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was pretty short...

By the way, thanks for reading!


	6. Day One

**Chapter Six: Day One**

* * *

Will's Point of View

We scaled Mount Tamalpais or as Annabeth calls it, the Mountain of Despair. I get why it is nicknamed that.

The natural mist and the magical kind shrouded the entire mountain. But not even the Mist could hide that the Mountain of Despair was dark, dangerous, and deadly. Exactly the kind of place where four demigods would turn up.

_Pause. _Did I just call it the Mountain of Despair? I have always referred to it as Mount Tamalpais. Is Annabeth really starting to affect me? Never mind, it's nothing. _Nothing. _

With a sense of achievement, we stood on the summit of the mountain. As the wind tousled our hair gently, we peered over the edge and down the crater. I could barely make out the bottom.

Percy whistled. "It's going to be a long drop and we can't just hop down there. Any ideas?"

Annabeth pulled out some rope from her backpack and muttered, "I knew this would come in handy."

Grinning, Percy replied, "Have no fear, we have our own survival gear shop right here."

Annabeth scowled and threatened to push Percy over the edge if he ever said that again. The warning had its immediate and desired effect.

"The rope could work... except for one problem. We have nothing to tie it down to at the bottom. Of course, the other option is for one of us to hold the rope while another one of us descends. But this mountain is pretty steep and we don't need to ruin our quest by one of us accidentally falling over the edge." So at least Annabeth gave us the idea of using a rope to work with.

I'm not sure if Athena granted me a blessing of wisdom for a moment, but an idea had appeared in my head. "We can tie the rope to one of my arrows and I can shoot it down to the bottom where it will be stuck in between the rocks."

Thalia stepped forward and began to wrap the rope securely around an arrow of mine. "It's the best we got. I suggest we work with it." Annabeth and Percy nodded silently, also voicing their agreements.

I raised my bow, drew it back to create the right amount of tension, and concentrated on a narrow gap between two large rocks near the bottom. Releasing my grip on the bow, the arrow sliced swiftly through the air and lodged itself firmly in the chink between the large rocks. I had hit my target.

Annabeth surveyed my work with a keen eye and jerked the rope to double-check. Luckily, it remained intact. "There's a group of sharp rocks that mark the ending of Will's arrow. I would recommend everyone to jump near the end of the rope or else you will collide with the sharp rocks," Annabeth instructed.

One by one, we grabbed hold of the rope and slid down it. Fire seemed to erupt from my hands as they traveled along the thick rope, friction creating the undesired heat. Almost reaching the end of the line, I released my hold and landed softly. Oh, how I wish. Actually, I landed hard on my feet. The impact jolted from my feet to my thighs at once and I groaned inwardly.

Oddly, there was a tunnel present. If anything would lead us to the center of the Earth, it would be that tunnel.

After applying Medea's SPF 50,000 sunscreen on us, Thalia handed out flashlights and we trudged onward until we were exhausted from the long walk. Stopping, we set up camp and waited for the next day.

* * *

A/N: So, this is day one of their quest. I apologize for the delay; I was becoming acquainted to the schedule that this year has set out for me. In addition, I was making quick drafts of the seven chapters of the quest. Hopefully, this will accelerate the pace of my updating!

Notice how Will is beginning to think of Annabeth more? He starts to call the mountain, the Mountain of Despair instead of Mount Tamalpais. When indicating both Percy and Annabeth, Will chooses to put Annnabeth's name in front of Percy's, expressing her importance to him over Percy's.

The idea of the center of the Earth does not follow the scientific way, but comes from Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth, respectively. I think that it will be more interesting this way?


End file.
